The Missing One…

The Missing One…10-2-25

My husband always migrates to the front porch to drink his coffee after I leave for work. He watches as the cows move about eating, the tires make sounds on the pavement in the distance, and the neighbors dog slowly ventures to check out the pieces of bounty left for him.

This morning we sat together, and as each car passed hurriedly moving toward their destination, he would tell me who was next. A routine so familiar that each car was anticipated well before it came into view. First, the black car moving quickly, and always in an extreme rush. Minivan 1 and Minivan 2 from a neighboring farm pass with their children in route to school. The neighbor to the east on his way to work. Next, is the lady in another black car. She is someone we know, and my husband is determined that she will wave or honk at some point. The widow in the Bronco from a few miles away follows her. This women’s husband suddenly passed several years ago. An all to familiar reminder that life is precious, and we are not guaranteed the next moments or days. Mom of three passes in route to school. Daughter-in-law rushing by to take the grand to school on time, and white Chevy truck tires screeching around the curves following in order. Ms. —- drives slowly by. My husband calls her Ms —- with her husband’s first name. Something he has done as long as I can remember. She methodically drives intently and purposefully to her place of employment. After a few moments, Park Ranger brings up the rear. She begins honking before she comes into sight, racing to get her sons to school on time. All these in rhymic pattern, always in succession, but today one is missing.

The neighbor to the east is not in line. How does my husband know? His careful attention to detail as he sits present in the moment brings awareness that one vehicle has not passed. This daily occurrence such that when one is absent, he notices the one who is missed.

I see the Lord in this image. At this sentence, I smile. I see the Lord in everything. As my husband described each vehicle, my mind immediately went to what I thought was my daily blog message. You see, I have stated time and again that my prayer is that the Lord leads my hands to prepare each day what He feels is the message. The message my heart needs. The reminder that He wants me to know, and just maybe anyone who reads this.

The scripture that comes to mind in this context is a familiar one, The parable of the Lost Sheep in Matthew 18:10-14. The one sheep missing, the shepherd who looks for the one leaving the 99, and the knowledge that God does not want even one to perish. Luke 15:4, ““What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?”

What about the people who don’t even notice the one who is missing? You see, as disciples of God, we should be intently looking, waiting, watching, and preparing to see the lost. Most of the time, we are rushing so quickly from commitment to commitment that we don’t notice the one. We are not looking for who is missing. Some people don’t even notice who surrounds them. They are intently focused on their immediate purpose, what the individual feels is most important at that moment, or the technology in their hands that they don’t even notice anything else.

The Bible says Jesus “came to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10. That is what we should be looking for as well. As I become more intent and purposeful in each moment, I begin to notice my surroundings more. I wonder about people and their lives. Maybe, God is giving me new eyes to see the world in the way that I should? Maybe, just maybe, there are lost that I should look for. Here I am, Lord, send me!